Apparatus for engraving metallic plates



AM. PHDTD-LITHQ. CD. Nfl (DSBORN ES PROCESS) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WATERMAN L. ORMSBY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEV JERSEY.

APPARATUS FOR ENGRAVING METALLIC PLATES.

Specili cation forming part of Letters Patent No. 47.745, dated May 16, 1865.

o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WATERMAN L. ORMsBY, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented, made, and applied to use a certain new and useful Improvement in Engraving Metallic Pla-tes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a plan of lny en gravin g-machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section. l t

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts. Y Y

Metallic plates have been engraved by means of dies containing the required letters or designs, pressed into the surface of the plate by means of a blow from a hammer. ln this mode it is found difficult to obtain a uniform impression, and there is liability that the letters or designs will not be perfectly in position.

The nature of my said invention consists in a peculiar engraved hammer, with `the design in relief to be impressed into the surface of the plate by a blow struck by said hammer itself. l also arrange a universal bed, carryin g the plate to be engraved in such a manner that any portion of its surface can be presented to the action of the designhammer.

In the drawin gs, a is the plate to be engraved, sustained upon a movable bed, and capable of being adjusted, as hereinafter speciied. A cross above the plate is the bar b, forming the support for the design-hammer, there being sufficient room for the plate and parts that carry it to be moved freely beneath this bar b, and said bar b is to be sustained firmly by any suitable frame. The edges of this bar b are beveled to form a V-slide for the rest c, that is movablelengthwise upon the bar b and ad justable by the screw d, acting in `the nut 1- upon said rest c. d is a milled disk or Wheel by which the said screw can be rotated, and 2 is a spring with adouble-inclined stud taking notches in the edge of cZ/,so as to prevent the screw moving accidentally, and also to facilitate the counting of the number of turns given to the said screw in adjusting the ma chine to any required position, as hereinafter set forth. l

Upon the rest c is the hammerbed e, that is attached by screws 3 and 4 4. The tail-piece 5 of said bed e extends to the rear, and is conined between two screws, 6 6, through studs on c. The screw 3 iits tightly its hole in e, while the holes for the screws 44am elongated, the object being to adjust this bed e so that its center line sha-ll be exactly at right angles to the bar b, or at a slight inclination, as may be required for correctly adjusting the hammer f that is carried by this bed, so that its design may bein its proper place when struck upon the plate a.

`The designfhammer f is represented as a wheel upon the stock f', and with the edge containing the raised engraving or design; but such hammer may be formed in any manner that will furnish the space for the engraved surface or design in relief, and the weight required for the concussion to strike the design into the plate.

The designfhannner f is secured upon the stock f against the disk 7 by the ring 8 and nut 9. The hammer f can be turned around between 7 and 8, but is held so that there is no looseness by the said nut 9, and by a screw, l0, that clamps the ring Slrmly to the stock f.

g isa spring-dog, with a chisel-shaped end, taking one of the radial notches or scores in the dat side of the design-hammer j to hold the saine and prevent the hammer turning. This dog is sustained by an arm that has an eye beneath the nut 9 and a tail-piece, ll, between the two adjusting-screws l2 upon the fixed ring 8. By this means the greatest accuracy can be obtained in adjusting the hammer, so that the design will be directly below the center of the hammer to strike equally upon the plate as the hammer is brought down, andwhere several designs are formed around the hammer they can be brought to' position, as required, by turning said hammer after releasing the spring-dog g.

, 'lhe hammer-stock f is attached by and l swings upon the pointedv screws h in lugs on the bed e, and said screws take the ends of a rock-shaft, h', formed with a slide or mortise in which the rear end of the hammer stock or handle is received, said handle being formed at this point as a block passinginto said mortise and confined by a nut, 13, and a screw, 14, passes through said block at right angles to the handle or stock f', so that this end of said handle can be raised or lowered to cause the design to coincide with the surface of the plate a.

The weight of the hammer and parts may be counterpoised in any convenient manner. I, however, prefer the spring 7c, which should be strong enough to keep the hammer and parts elevated, and when the plate is in proper position and the parts adjusted so that the design will strike the plate correctly the hammeris to be raised and then struck down upon ihe plate. It' one blow does not sink the impression sufficiently, a second may be given.H

In order to indicate to the operator the exact place where the design will strike, and thereby aid him in adjusting the plate to the proper position, a spring-pointent', may be employed, set on a rock-shaft, 15, with a lever-arm, 1G,

vacted upon by the lever 17, so that a pin, 1S,

von the rock-shaft hf, taking said lever 17,

to the design so that the impression may be made upon a-ny desired part of said plate or any required groups of designs or impressions be produced.

Z Z are slide ways forming the bed of the machine, upon which is the lower movable bed m, that can be adjusted by the screw a, fitted with a spring-dog similar to that on the screw d. Upon this bed m is a circular bed, 0, that moves upon the center gudgeon, 19, and is operated upon by the tangent-screw p, that takes into the rack-teeth 2() around said circular bed. The tangent-screw p is set in a stock, q, that is screwed at one end to the bed m and at the other end pressed to its rack by the spring 21. By turning this spring aside the tangent screw and its stock can be turned around horizontally on its attaching screw sufficiently to disconnect the screw from the rack so as to rotate the bed by hand, if desired. Upon the top of the circular bed o is the V-bed r, that forms the rest for the sliding bed s; andt is a screw by which the bed s can be slid on r. The upper side of the bed s is provided wi.h a second \/slide, a, which can be slid across s at rightangles to 1' by means of the screw c, and upon this slide u is the gudgeon or center for a second circularbed, u, provided with the tangentscrew zo', stock 22, and spring 23, the same as those tted to the circular bed o. This circular bed lw is upon the under side of the bed 90,' that carries the plate c.

a series of the designs in concentric circles or in a series of semicircles either in a straight or circular form may be produced.

The general mode of positioning the plate will be understood from the following. By means of the right-angled slides s u any part of the plate c can be brought under the design-hammer, and if the design is to be repeated in straight lines these slides enable V-this to be done in either parallel or diagonal line, or at right angles to each other, the circle w allowing the plate to be placed diagonally to the slides s and u. This circle w also allows the designs to be repeated in lines radiating from a center. It' a circle is to be formed, the beds can all be brought to coincide with Yeach other, and either circle employed in rotating the plate. In this case the radius ot' the circle is determined by moving the hammer laterally by its sliding carriage on the bar b or by moving the beds longitudinally on the slides l..

Semicircles and segments can also be produced on any part of the plate by the repetition of the design, and this may be done by turning the beds partially around upon the lower circle, and if a series ot' designs are to be impressed in the general form of a circle, or with a series of scallops around the edge, one bed, o, can be used to give the general form ofthe circle, while the other w is employed in producing the scallops.

The number of gures or shapes in which the design may be repeated is very great. I have therefore only given sutlicient directions (as above) to enable the operator to understand the mode of using this machine, so that he may be able to exercise his own taste and judgment in the coniiguration of the shapes or groups in which the design or de signs upon the hammer may be repeated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Lettrs Patent,.is-

1. A circular hammer having several designs in relief around its edge, in combination.

with the dog g, substantially as specified.

2. Raising or lowering the back end of the design-hammer, substantially as specified, for causing the design on the hammer to coincide with the surface of the plate, as set forth.

3. The plate e, adjustable as specified, in combination with the plate c and designhammer for the purposes of adjusting said hammer, as set forth.

4. The combination of two two circular beds, o w, with the right-angled slides s u, forming a universal bed for adjusting the position of the plate to be engraved, as set forth.

5. The universal bed for carrying and adjusting the plate as aforesaid, in combination with the design-hammer, substantially as and for the purposes speciiied.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 22d day of August, 1861.

W. L. ORMSBY.

Witnesses Tuos. Guo. HAROLD, Guns. H. SMITH. 

